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Former White House aide accuses Disney of plagiarism

Bradley Blakeman, a former aide to President George W. Bush, filed a lawsuit against Walt Disney for allegedly stealing his idea for a movie. The Disney movie, starring Kevin Costner, depicts a presidential race depending on the vote of one man.

A former White House aide is suing Walt Disney and the stars of the political comedy "Swing Vote" for allegedly stealing his idea.

Bradley Blakeman, a former aide to President George W. Bush, claims in a lawsuit filed Thursday that the comedy flick starring Kevin Costner and Kelsey Grammer rips off his own version of the story, titled "Go November."

Blakeman is seeking unspecified "monetary and other appropriate relief" from the Hollywood stars and the backers of "Swing Vote," including the Walt Disney Company.

The complaint, filed in Long Island, New York, alleges that Blakeman in 2006 gave Grammer a copyrighted script of his idea which bears a "striking resemblance" to the movie released this August by Disney's Touchstone Pictures.

"Swing Vote," timed to appear in the run-up to November's real-life presidential election, tells how a single voter played by Kevin Costner ends up deciding the race to the White House.

"Go November," the law suit says, has an "extraordinarily similar" plot, with several identical characters, and also foreseeing Grammer playing the same role of incumbent president.